Alpha Kiyaga at work with one of his boys. He says he was inspired by the need to offer something different. Photo by Isaac Ssejjombwe
Viodeography: In 2012, Alpha Kiyaga invested just Shs700,000 in his dream. The other part involved hiring equipment to do his work. Today, he says Bridge Films is worth Shs60m and this is an achievement that keeps driving him.
What kind of job do you do and when did you start doing it?
I do video production and I started in 2006 as an employee at LDS Studio, MGS Video,
So when did you start your own company?
I opened it in 2012.
What is the name of your company?
Bridge Films.
Why that name?
Because we major in documentary and TV production, the name was meant to bridge a gap between the clients and us.
How much did you invest in this business and how much is it worth now?
I invested Shs700,000 in an HP laptop which I still have, and I was renting the rest of the equipment. Bridge Films is now worth Shs60m with the latest state of the art production equipment.
What challenges do you face doing this business?
The first challenge I encountered was finding the right people to work with, but after doing some research, I started training my own staff. The other challenge is that we still have very few extension service providers who are ever occupied; services like documentary narration and music composition.
How grateful are you for this business?
I can’t think of doing something else for now because I live, walk, breath and sleep thinking about Bridge Films. I have grown so I find it hard not to be better.
Where are your offices located?
We are located on Mawanda Road, Plot 727, Kamwokya.
What are your charges?
Production business can’t have fixed charges because every gig is as dynamic as the other. Our basis of charge depends on location and number of days spent on the job.
Why did you pick an interest in this business?
I am an accountant by profession but accountants are people who sit in office Monday to Friday, year in year out, yet I wanted a job that will let me see the world. Starting my own business started as an urge to offer something different to the corporate world because I used to edit documentaries done by other people but their story telling was sick. We have so many people with creative minds but they can’t penetrate the production market because most organisations think that people from media houses have more experience, which is wrong. So I wanted to break that dogma and create a bridge between creatives and the outside world. We had open training last year October-December which was free for all creatives.
